Tuesday, June 22, 2010
I can't get no..... satisfaction..... and that's okay
Last night I heard a great sermon at revival. The topic of the sermon was 3 ways to get more out of your Christian walk and the first point was dissatisfaction (Philippians 3:13 "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.") At first thought, it looks kinda funny. I'm supposed to get more out of my Christian walk by being dissatisfied? I thought the Christian life was supposed to fulfill me and make me satisfied. This last part is true but the point of the message that really struck me is that we should never be satisfied with our relationship with God. There's always room for improvement, changes that he wants to make, things that he is asking us to do. Becoming satisfied leads to standing still which leads to backsliding in our walk with God. We should always want more out of our Christian life. A lesson we need to learn and take to heart. It's sometimes very easy to rest on our laurels, to congratulate ourselves for a job well done, but in the end it's all about moving forward. Something to ponder. Are you getting all that God intended for you in his relationship with you? Or are you dissatisfied with where you're at in your Christian walk? If so, do something about it. Want more? Then go get it. God has more in store for us, we just have to desire it and strive for it.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Just say "No"?
So I was reading the Word today and studying in the book of Titus and the following passage just jumped off the pages at me: Titus 2:11-13 (NIV)
" 11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,"
The grace of God teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions. Grace doesn't give us a license to sin and do whatever we want because we're already "saved" or "Christian". When we truly understand and appreciate grace we desire to put off ungodliness and worldly passions. We literally will desire to say "no" to what the world has to offer.
Romans 2:4 states "Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?". His kindness and grace should lead us to repentance or saying "no" to the worldly passions.
How are you doing in answering the world? Is God's grace leading you to answer the world with a resounding "NO!"? Or are you showing contempt towards His kindness by taking advantage of His grace? It's your choice.
" 11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,"
The grace of God teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions. Grace doesn't give us a license to sin and do whatever we want because we're already "saved" or "Christian". When we truly understand and appreciate grace we desire to put off ungodliness and worldly passions. We literally will desire to say "no" to what the world has to offer.
Romans 2:4 states "Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?". His kindness and grace should lead us to repentance or saying "no" to the worldly passions.
How are you doing in answering the world? Is God's grace leading you to answer the world with a resounding "NO!"? Or are you showing contempt towards His kindness by taking advantage of His grace? It's your choice.
Monday, June 7, 2010
a trip to the zoo
So I went to the zoo with the family today. Had a great time. Eli, my 2 year old, loves to comment on all of the animal's poopy. Lucky this gives me an opportunity to talk about poopy, which my lovely wife doesn't normally like to discuss. But I digress, I'm not writing about poop tonight, just wanted to included in a post at some point.
One of the first animals we saw today was a little rodent type thing. I don't remember the name of it but it looked like a really big rabbit. Anyway, as with all animals at the zoo (to which I'm very thankful) it was in a cage locked up so it couldn't escape. But the mutant rabbit was trying to dig it's way out and it was making good progress and looked like it might be successful at some point. Anyway, it's fun to see the all of the animals at the zoo, animals you can only see at a zoo but I also feel sorry that they will always be captive.
It made me think about my former captivity. How I thought I had a good life, looking at all of the people walking around coming just to see me, I was loving life, or so I thought. The thing is while I had convinced myself that I was "happy", truth is I was miserable. I had let sin become my master and I was held captive by it. It wasn't until Jesus released me from those chains that I found out what life was and what it was meant to be. Jesus didn't give me temporary happiness but eternal joy. There weren't just moments of feeling like I was the center of attention but there was a firm, continual knowledge that I was loved and that Christ was always with me, always watching me.
There are so many people in the world outside the faith that are still living in captivity and don't know it. I walk around and can't help but feel sorry for them. But it's not enough for me to just feel sorry for them. They can't know the freedom that I know if I only feel sorry for them and don't say anything. When I walk around a zoo I don't have a key to go around and free all of the animals that I feel sorry for them, thankfully, but when I walk around in my everyday life, I do have the "key" to set them free from their sin and captivity. His name is Jesus. It's my awesome responsibility to do something with that. What about you? Have you offered the key to anyone in your life?
One of the first animals we saw today was a little rodent type thing. I don't remember the name of it but it looked like a really big rabbit. Anyway, as with all animals at the zoo (to which I'm very thankful) it was in a cage locked up so it couldn't escape. But the mutant rabbit was trying to dig it's way out and it was making good progress and looked like it might be successful at some point. Anyway, it's fun to see the all of the animals at the zoo, animals you can only see at a zoo but I also feel sorry that they will always be captive.
It made me think about my former captivity. How I thought I had a good life, looking at all of the people walking around coming just to see me, I was loving life, or so I thought. The thing is while I had convinced myself that I was "happy", truth is I was miserable. I had let sin become my master and I was held captive by it. It wasn't until Jesus released me from those chains that I found out what life was and what it was meant to be. Jesus didn't give me temporary happiness but eternal joy. There weren't just moments of feeling like I was the center of attention but there was a firm, continual knowledge that I was loved and that Christ was always with me, always watching me.
There are so many people in the world outside the faith that are still living in captivity and don't know it. I walk around and can't help but feel sorry for them. But it's not enough for me to just feel sorry for them. They can't know the freedom that I know if I only feel sorry for them and don't say anything. When I walk around a zoo I don't have a key to go around and free all of the animals that I feel sorry for them, thankfully, but when I walk around in my everyday life, I do have the "key" to set them free from their sin and captivity. His name is Jesus. It's my awesome responsibility to do something with that. What about you? Have you offered the key to anyone in your life?
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Choose to live
So I'm getting "trained" at work on how to be an effective person. I'm not the only one in the class so don't just think that they're picking on me because I'm ineffective. Anyway, the first habit in being an effective person is to be proactive. Basically to live your life based on your choices rather than on your circumstances. For instance, if you invite me to do something, I can't go because I "have to" watch the kids and spend time with my family, I "choose" to watch my kids and spend time with my family. When someone invites me to something exciting and then tell me it's on a Sunday. I shouldn't respond with, "I'd love to but I have to go to church", rather I "choose" to go to church. Basically, it's choosing to live your life and not have it lived for you by everything else going on around you.
Sometimes as a Christian, I make my faith and church a routine where it feels like something I "have to do" because I'm the youth leader. When in fact, it's the life that I have chose because it's what I prefer to do. I love serving God and seeking His will in my life. Sometimes I/we send the wrong message to the outside world because with all of our "have to's" and "I've got nothing better do" statements and attitudes that it's no wonder why others aren't drawn to the Jesus that I/we have come to know and love. I chose to follow Christ because I wanted to experience real life, abundant life. Daily, I have to continue to choose this life and not the life that the world is offering. Your life is full of choices. I hope you choose to pause and look at it quickly. What life are you choosing to live? Is it what you had planned/hoped for? Is it the life that God had in store for you? Is it you choosing God's will or your own will? Questions for you and I to ponder.
"Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." James 4:4b
Sometimes as a Christian, I make my faith and church a routine where it feels like something I "have to do" because I'm the youth leader. When in fact, it's the life that I have chose because it's what I prefer to do. I love serving God and seeking His will in my life. Sometimes I/we send the wrong message to the outside world because with all of our "have to's" and "I've got nothing better do" statements and attitudes that it's no wonder why others aren't drawn to the Jesus that I/we have come to know and love. I chose to follow Christ because I wanted to experience real life, abundant life. Daily, I have to continue to choose this life and not the life that the world is offering. Your life is full of choices. I hope you choose to pause and look at it quickly. What life are you choosing to live? Is it what you had planned/hoped for? Is it the life that God had in store for you? Is it you choosing God's will or your own will? Questions for you and I to ponder.
"Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." James 4:4b
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